To Lactnetters,
thought you may like to be made aware of this message circulating on our Oz
midwifery news.
Robyn Aulmann RM
 Pakistan

-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask]
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Carol
Thorogood
Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2000 2:32 AM
To: Midwifery mailing list
Subject: Fw: Boycott Nescafe say African and Asian Campaigners - awfully
long post


For those who drink coffee and eat chockies ie me!

Dear colleague,

We have just posted a press release with the title "African and Asian
campaigners urge support for Nescafé boycott as Nestlé announces increased
baby milk sales" - the text is included below and you can also view it by
going to http://www.babymilkaction.org/ and following the link from the
latest news section of the index page.  The website version of the press
release includes links to supporting documents.  You can also find pictures
for downloading for articles. I hope you find this service useful.  Do not
hesitate to contact me if you
require further information.  >

Mike Brady
Campaigns and Networking Coordinator
Baby Milk Action

Visit our website http://www.babymilkaction.org/

YOU CAN NOW ORDER PUBLICATIONS AND MERCHANDISE ON-LINE****

UK contact numbers.  Tel: 01223 464420   Fax: 01223 464417
International contact numbers.  Tel: +44 1223 464420   Fax: +44 1223
464417 -African and Asian campaigners urge support for Nescafé boycott as
Nestlé announces increased baby milk sales
24th October 2000 While Nestlé announces growth in its baby milk sales,
campaigners are highlighting that 1.5 million infants die around the world
every year because they are not breastfed (1). Nestlé is the target of a
boycott of its coffee, confectionery and convenience food products in 19
countries because it puts its own profits before infant health, aggressively
marketing breastmilk substitutes in ways that violate the International Code
of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and subsequent, relevant Resolutions
of the World Health Assembly (2). In the UK the boycott focuses on Nescafé
coffee and is the UK's best supported consumer boycott (3). Pauline Kisanga,
Coordinator of the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) in Africa
said: "The Nestlé boycott is very important. It should continue because
Nestlé continues to violate the Code" (4).

Dr. Charles Sagoe-Moses, of the Ghanaian Infant Nutrition Action Network and
Chair of the IBFAN Africa Advisory Committee, spoke of the importance of the
Nestlé boycott in defending infant health (4): "To me the boycott shows
there is global, consistent and systematic violation of the Code and we use
this to tell people that what is happening here is not unique to Ghana. The
people there are campaigning because they think they have a voice and they
can use their voice to help some people in the developing world who do not
have a voice." IBFAN works for independent, transparent and effective
controls on the baby food industry and is currently supporting moves for
legislation in Pakistan. Tracey Wagner-Rizvi of the Pakistan IBFAN group
said (5): "The boycott is very important to raise awareness amongst our
legislators as Nestlé attempts
>to weaken the draft law." Earlier this year a former Nestlé Pakistan
employee, Syed Aamar Raza,
>presented documentary evidence in the UK Parliament showing how he was
instructed by company officials to bribe doctors to promote Nestlé baby
milks. In May 1999 the UK Advertising Standards Authority upheld all of Baby
Milk Action's complaints against a Nestlé anti-boycott advertisement in
which the company claimed to market infant formula "ethically and
responsibly." Saatchi & Saatchi suggested in Marketing Week magazine that
Nestlé should counter the bad publicity by going on offensive showing the
benefit of its donations to charities. Soon afterwards four UK charities
(Shelter, Kids Club Network, Macmillan and British Red Cross) received
£250,000 each linked to promotion of Nescafé. (6) For further information
contact and to arrange interviews with IBFANers
>around the world contact:
>
>Mike Brady, Baby Milk Action. Tel: 01223 464420 Website:
>www.babymilkaction.org
>
>Notes for Editors
>
>1.Nestlé announced growth in its third-quarter statement on 20th October
>(see http://www.nestlepress.com/), stating: "Milks and nutrition saw good
>progress, mainly as a result of infant nutrition sales in Asia and of the
>powdered milk business." Figure for infant deaths given in numerous
>references - for example UNICEF press release 14th January 1997 UNICEF
>Responds to Report on Violations of Breastmilk Substitute Code: "Marketing
>practices that undermine breastfeeding are potentially hazardous wherever
>they are pursued: in the developing world, WHO estimates that some 1.5
>million children die each year because they are not adequately breastfed.
>These facts are not in dispute."
>
>2.IBFAN consists of over 150 groups in over 90 countries and conducts
>monitoring of the baby food industry. Nestlé, which controls about 40% of
>the global baby milk market, is found to be responsible for more violations
>than any other company and takes the lead in attempting to undermine
>government implementation of the International Code and Resolutions. The
>report Breaking the Rules, Stretching the Rules 1998, the result of
>monitoring in 31 countries is available on the IBFAN website and may be
>purchased from Baby Milk Action's Virtual Shop. Baby Milk Action is the UK
>IBFAN group. See the "codewatch" section with more recent examples of
>violations by Nestlé and other companies. The "resources" section includes
>past press release and photos which can be down-loaded for articles.
>
>3.In December 1997 Ethical Consumer Magazine published a survey of its
>readership and found that the Nestlé boycott was the best supported boycott
>in the UK.
>
>4.Baby Milk Action interviewed IBFANers at the IBFAN Africa Regional
Meeting
>in Swaziland in September. Video clips of the interviews with Pauline
>Kisanga and Charles Sagoe-Moses are available for broadcasters (amateur
>film). On 28 February 1998 the French television programme Vrai Jornal
>broadcast an interview with Ines Fernandez of IBFAN Philippines in which
she
>speaks in English of the importance of the boycott and Nestlé's use of
>"Health Educators" to promote Nestogen infant formula to mothers in the
>community - contact CAPA television +33 1 46061263.
>
>5.The Pakistan IBFAN group, The Network, Association for Rational Use of
>Medication in Pakistan, conducted monitoring in 33 cities and published the
>report Feeding Fiasco in 1998. In 1999 it published the report Milking
>Profits based on the documentary evidence provided by former Nestlé
employee
>Syed Aamar Raza (both reports are available from the Virtual Shop).
>Telephone interviews with The Network and Syed Aamar Raza may be possible.
>Contact Baby Milk Action for further information.
>
>6.The Advertising Standards Authority took nearly two years to uphold all
of
>Baby Milk Action's complaints about Nestlé's anti-boycott advertisement,
one
>of its longest ever investigations. Its ruling was published on 12th May
>2000 after being delayed by a final Nestlé appeal. Marketing Week (11th
>February 2000) called the ruling "a first class public relations
>disaster.... which effectively brands the global corporation a liar,
insofar
>as it claimed to have marketed infant formula products ethically."
Marketing
>Week asked Marjorie Thompson of Saatchi & Saatchi what Nestlé should do:
>"She suggests the way to counteract the bad publicity is to go on the
>offensive by using advertising showing the benefits of Nestlé's financial
>contributions to charities, such as Kids Club Network which provides
>after-school care for children." In October 1999 Nestlé announced £1
million
>of sponsorship to Kids Club Network, Shelter, Macmillan Cancer Relief and
>the British Red Cross, all linked to Nescafé coffee, the principle target
of
>the boycott. The British Red Cross and Shelter have launched publicity
>campaigns which prominently promote Nescafé. While Baby Milk Action does
not
>wish to undermine the good work being done by the charities involved it
>regrets that their deals with Nestlé undermine the boycott.
>
>7.Baby Milk Action, 23 St. Andrew's Street, Cambridge, CB2 3AX. Tel: 01223
>464420  Fax: 01223 464417
>
>
>

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